4 2015 WESTERN BORDER FOOTBALL/NETBALL PREVIEW Merger went smoothly Casterton/Sandford Cats chasing success THE Cats have been extremely loyal to the Western Border FL from the very outset and deserve much better than two premierships in 51 completed seasons. Flags in 1969 and 1990 are poles apart and although the Cats have played off in the last two finals series, a third is not necessarily just around the corner. Under the second year of Dylan Ayton’s coaching, Casterton/Sandford was a better, faster, stronger outfit than 2013, but come September, the felines were the first casualty of the finals. The recruitment of Nick Upton and Joshua Stephenson proved a real bonus but Casterton/Sandford has to get even better and that’s a tall order. Ayton relies heavily on a promising group of local youngsters, but many of them are so lightly built, they are under guard on windy days. One of the biggest problems facing the Cats in recent times has been matching it with the big guns of the competition, namely North, West and South. In Ayton’s two year tenure to date, Casterton/Sandford is yet to beat North (six losses) or South (seven losses) while its record against West is a little more encouraging, 4-4 but two of the three losses have been in cut-throat season-ending 1st semi-finals. The Cats have been offered some big favours by the WBFL in the last two seasons via more home games than other clubs, but that is to offset the amount of travel they may face coming to Mount Gambier they would have otherwise. The Cats have capitalised on the home ground benefit, but are obviously not good travellers. Since the departure of Heywood, Hamilton, Portland and Imperials in recent years, Casterton/Sandford has resisted the overtures neighbouring leagues and has remained steadfastly loyal to the Western Border. That loyalty deserves a flag, but whether it can come as quickly as September 2015, could be classified as a long shot. Colours: Blue and white hoops. Emblem: Cats. Ground: Island Park. Dimensions: 180m x 140m Club address: PO Box 23, Casterton, Victoria, 3311 Club phone: (03) 5581-1495 Fax: (03) 5581-2695 E-mail: castfooty@bigpond.com President: Shane Foster Secretary: Loren Hulm REAPPOINTED: Dylan Ayton will be back for a third successive term as playing coach of Casterton/Sandford. Ayton enjoyed personal success in 2014 when he was named as joint winner of the Brian Hennessy Medal. KEY FORWARD: Ricky Killey is one of the more dangerous forwards in the Casterton/Sandford line-up. Treasurer: Michael Betinsky 2015 coach: Dylan Ayton (reappointed for third term) Ayton’s WBFL coaching record: 4th (2013) & 4th (2014). 34 games, 13 wins, 21 losses, 0 draws. Strikerate: 38.23pc. Reserves coach: Kevin Stark Under 17 coach: Greg Bright Under 15 coach: Mark O’Brien 2014 finish: 4th 8 wins, 10 losses 2014 Best and fairest: Dylan Ayton 2014 leading goalkicker: Joshua Stephenson, 44 Premierships: 2 (1969 and 1990) WBFL (Brian Hennessy) Medallists: David Robbie (1967), Michael Gregg (1983), Tony Lithgow (1989), Justin Munro (2002), Brad Vassall (2011) and Dylan Ayton (2014) WBFL leading goalkickers: Rex Harvey (83 in 1970) and Tim Williamson (82 in 1993) Predicted 2015 finish: 5th VERSATILE LINK MAN: Sam Penfold is quite often called on to fill a variety of roles for Casterton/Sandford. WE WORK FOR YOU! Phone 8726 5300 61 Commercial Street East Mount Gambier SA 5290 4 - Western Border Football and Netball 2015 Season Preview, Thursday, April 2, 2015 ‘Good luck to all teams competing in season 2015’ 667288